Description

2021 double vinyl release on coloured vinyls with gatefold cover and 3 bonus tracks

Ignored by all but diehards, Stomp 442 found Anthrax in creative freefall, shackled to ideas that had ceased to be interesting years ago. Apparently, the band realized they were in dire straits — that’s the only explanation for the ambitious cavalcade of sounds on Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, the follow-up to Stomp 442. Coming on the heels of Anthrax’s blandest effort, the whirling array of styles on Volume 8 is welcome, but it also hides the fact that the group hasn’t exactly bounced back from a songwriting slump that first reared its head on Sound of White Noise. Sheer energy and attitude go a long way, however, and for a while the album is genuinely engaging. The speed metal has actual bite, and the departures, from the heavy percussion of the opener, “Crush,” through the country stomp “Toast” to the unlisted acoustic closer, “Pieces,” are nearly all successful. The surfaces are quite appealing, suggesting that Volume 8 is a transitional album that will lead Anthrax into new, uncharted territory.

Track list:
1. Crush
2. Catharsis
3. Inside Out
4. Piss N Vinegar
5. 604
6. Toast To The Extras
7. Born Again Idiot
8. Killing Box
9. Harms Way
10. Hog Tied
11. Big Fat
12. Cupajoe
13. Alpha Male
14. Stealing From A Thief
15. Pieces
16. Giving The Horns
17. The Bends
18. Snap/Id Rather Be Sleeping